So you want to create a course.
An online course is an incredible offer to have in your stack. You can use a course to teach one of your highly marketable skills and position yourself as the expert.
“Build Your Badass Brand in 30 Days”
“The Ultimate Lead Generation Strategy for Online Businesses”
“Influencer Instincts: Monetizing Your Instagram Page”
Your course can be:
- Used as a mid-ticket offer as an evergreen self-paced course.
- Upgraded to a high-ticket offer by adding 1:1 coaching.
- Upgraded to a mastermind by offering group coaching support.
- Used as a lead generator for your higher-ticket offers.
- Used as a downsell if you get an investment objection on a 1:1 sales call.
You can even pull sections from your course and use them as lead magnets.
Your course is an opportunity for you to showcase who you are as an authority. You can dump a ton of your knowledge into one place and help ideal clients get a result using your signature method.
Once your course is developed, you can truly take it anywhere.
But I’m not going to mess around with you:
Creating a course is a huge undertaking.
Course creation is one of the most frequent requests I get for my VIP Days because creative entrepreneurs are full of world-changing ideas…
…and the actual design, creation, launch, and implementation of a course is enough to send these badasses running faster than some Olympic runners.
If you’re ready to jump in and make the damn thing, keep reading for my beginner’s guide to course creation.
(And if you’re exhausted and overwhelmed just thinking about all the moving parts, get in touch. This is what I do.)
Step 1: Values and Positioning
Key questions:
- What do I want this course to say about me and the work that I do?
A course is a signature offering, so treat it like a billboard. The name, content, and delivery of the course should feel completely aligned with you and your work.
- What do I want my client to learn about themselves and the work that they do?
Your course should help your client get a big win on their own. Feel free to go beyond standard do-this-do-that action items and really guide the client through who they and their business will become on the other side of this work.
- What do I love and hate about other similar offers on the market? What can I model from them?
This is not about copying. It’s about assessment. Please do not create a course until you have taken several courses and experienced them as a student. Think about platforms, pacing, 1:1 support, group support, and downloadable material. Consider whether you will create video content or simply written content. Assess marketing strategies, pricing, and barriers to entry. It is all important.
- How does this fit within my business model? How can it best serve my clients?
Consider the other offers in your stack and position your course accordingly. Typically, a self-guided course will fit somewhere between a lead magnet or bite-sized offer, and a coaching program. You can maximize your course by running a live version once a year or offering a companion coaching upgrade. You can also pull pieces of your course and use them as lead magnets.
- Why am I excited about this course?
If you can’t answer this question yet, it’s probably not the right time for you to create a course. It’s a big undertaking, and it’s important that you feel aligned and excited about the content you are creating and the experience your clients will have as they go through it. Your energy will be evident, so lean into anything that makes you giddy!
Action Items:
Get real with yourself about your intentions for this course. Take some time to meditate, journal, or talk to a mentor about your course idea. Too many times, I have seen entrepreneurs spend months creating a course, only to realize they did it because they thought it was a logical business move, but they actually hate everything about it.
Skip the regret and give yourself time to sink into the intention, purpose, and drive behind your brilliant course idea.
Once you’ve committed, dive into Step 2.
Step 2: Figure Out the framework
Key Questions:
- What is the story I want to tell through this course?
Consider your course from the client’s perspective. Take them on a hero’s journey. Map out their potential starting points, the route of their adventure, the crisis they will encounter, and how they will be changed by the end of the course. Consider how you will offer a solution to the crisis and your long-term relationship with the client because of your presence during a time of need.
- What is the story I want to tell through this course?
- What knowledge or experience are my clients bringing to this course? What do they know or not know? How can I optimize my onboarding process to level the playing field for education?
Create an avatar of your ideal client for this course. List out what they need to know in order to get the most value from your course. Use your onboarding emails and the first module of your course to put clients on as even ground as possible. This will help ensure they achieve the end result.
For example, if you are a photographer creating the course “Become Your Family’s Frame-Worthy Photographer in 30 Days,” you may want to have a PDF or video guide of camera operation basics in your first module. You may want to have a list of recommended equipment with links to buy.
More experienced photographers can skip these resources, but it will put beginners in a position to get the most out of your course.
- What is the most logical way to present this information?
Think about how your client will be using this course. They may access it on their phone, or on their computers. They may listen to it in the car. They may watch videos during lunch breaks. Think about how you are going to get the information to the client in a way that will make the most sense for them.
This may mean having multiple versions of your information. For example, you may have a captioned video recording as your primary delivery tool. You can extract audio from these videos for an audio-only version. You can (and should) transcribe your video content into text-only PDFs.
I recommend automating your course as much as possible using course software. Course-delivery platforms vary based on what you want them to do. My top recommendations are Thinkific and or Kajabi.
- What is the most interesting and fun way to present this information?
Think about your own personality and how to make it shine. If you are an amazing writer, but incredibly nervous on screen, a text-based course is best for you. Consider bringing on a graphic designer to turn your text into something visually appealing for your students.
On the other hand, if you are a fantastic live coach, consider having opportunities for live coaching calls, Q&A videos, or other recorded videos to show off your strengths and personality.
Action Items:
Start building a content index.
A content index is a document showing all of the puzzle pieces of your course (content, videos, worksheets, graphics, etc.) so you can see the full breadth of your ideal client’s journey.
At every stage of the journey, take time to consider your client’s experience and how you can best respond to and serve them.
Step 3: Bring It to Life
- How can you build accountability and support throughout your course?
There are several ways to build check-points into your course so that your clients get the most out of it. Consider an automated email sequence that checks in on your client at set times (i.e. weekly, every 2 weeks, or when you know certain content has been unlocked). You may also have a dedicated Slack Channel or Facebook/WhatsApp/Voxer group exclusive to course participants as a way for them to keep one another accountable.
Of course, you can also offer live group coaching calls, office hours, or weekly Q&A sessions.
Remember: You want your clients to complete the course and get an awesome result. You look good when they look good. There is no benefit to letting them sink or swim on their own. They will sink, and they will blame you.
- Will you be running your course live or pre-creating all the content?
Decide whether you will be meeting up with course participants weekly for live classes, or if you want to have an evergreen standalone course that runs itself.
Note: One version can turn into the other. You can record yourself teaching the classes live in your first run of the course, and then turn it into an evergreen course by popping the videos into your course platform. - How will your clients enroll?
Determine your marketing strategy, including the development of your sales page(s), checkout page(s), special offers, and payment plans. Consider whether you want the call to action on your sales page to be “Buy Now,” “Apply Now,” or “Book a Call.” If you have a low- to mid-range course and want it to run in the background of your business, I strongly recommend “Buy Now.” If you want to prequalify participants to ensure they are the best fit, you can direct them to apply or book a call, but this will require a manual sales strategy. - What is the client care plan?
Create a map of your client experience, including an on-boarding and off-boarding protocol. Read more about how to create a kickass client care plan.
Action Items:
Get out your calendar and start drawing out the life cycle of your course, from marketing to enrolment to course experience to post-course follow-up.
WRAP-UP:
Creating a course is tough, but with the right content, it can be a huge asset for your business.
You can repurpose the content to match clients into the best offer for the results they need.
If you are ready to create your course, give yourself a due date.
Carve out time to sit and create the course.
Totally overwhelmed?
Grab one of my VIP Days and we will co-create the course and get it DONE.
To lifelong learning!
